The Race for Hitler's X-Planes: Britain's 1945 Mission to Capture Secret Luftwaffe Technology
How the race for German technology at the end of the war helped shaped the Cold War to come

During World War 2, Hitler’s engineers had pioneered an incredible array of futuristic secret weapons, from the Me 262, the first operational jet fighter, to the deadly V2 inter-continental ballistic missile.With the Third Reich shattered and lying in ruins, in the summer of 1945, the Allies launched a frantic race to grab what they saw as the justifiable spoils of war. The Americans and Russians in particular were anxious to secure not only the aircraft and the research and production facilities, but also the key German scientists and engineers. This Nazi technology would define the balance of power in the phoney peace of the Cold War era, launching an arms race that shaped our modern world for decades to come. But what of Britain’s role in this supermarket sweep? The Race for Hitler’s X-Planes tells the untold story of the British mission to Germany.
1112756859
The Race for Hitler's X-Planes: Britain's 1945 Mission to Capture Secret Luftwaffe Technology
How the race for German technology at the end of the war helped shaped the Cold War to come

During World War 2, Hitler’s engineers had pioneered an incredible array of futuristic secret weapons, from the Me 262, the first operational jet fighter, to the deadly V2 inter-continental ballistic missile.With the Third Reich shattered and lying in ruins, in the summer of 1945, the Allies launched a frantic race to grab what they saw as the justifiable spoils of war. The Americans and Russians in particular were anxious to secure not only the aircraft and the research and production facilities, but also the key German scientists and engineers. This Nazi technology would define the balance of power in the phoney peace of the Cold War era, launching an arms race that shaped our modern world for decades to come. But what of Britain’s role in this supermarket sweep? The Race for Hitler’s X-Planes tells the untold story of the British mission to Germany.
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The Race for Hitler's X-Planes: Britain's 1945 Mission to Capture Secret Luftwaffe Technology

The Race for Hitler's X-Planes: Britain's 1945 Mission to Capture Secret Luftwaffe Technology

by John Christopher
The Race for Hitler's X-Planes: Britain's 1945 Mission to Capture Secret Luftwaffe Technology

The Race for Hitler's X-Planes: Britain's 1945 Mission to Capture Secret Luftwaffe Technology

by John Christopher

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Overview

How the race for German technology at the end of the war helped shaped the Cold War to come

During World War 2, Hitler’s engineers had pioneered an incredible array of futuristic secret weapons, from the Me 262, the first operational jet fighter, to the deadly V2 inter-continental ballistic missile.With the Third Reich shattered and lying in ruins, in the summer of 1945, the Allies launched a frantic race to grab what they saw as the justifiable spoils of war. The Americans and Russians in particular were anxious to secure not only the aircraft and the research and production facilities, but also the key German scientists and engineers. This Nazi technology would define the balance of power in the phoney peace of the Cold War era, launching an arms race that shaped our modern world for decades to come. But what of Britain’s role in this supermarket sweep? The Race for Hitler’s X-Planes tells the untold story of the British mission to Germany.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781803995649
Publisher: The History Press
Publication date: 09/17/2024
Edition description: New edition
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

About The Author
John Christopher has written and edited a number of books on Engineering, Military History and Railway and Road Transport, specializing in the life and works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and being the series editor for Amberley’s Bradshaw’s Guides series. He has also appeared in Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys television series. In between writing books, he is a balloon pilot and Land Rover fan. He lives in Gloucestershire.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Spoils of War 7

1 A Very British Affair 11

2 The Reich in Ruins 25

3 Wings of Change 40

4 Entering the Jet Age 56

5 Pistons and Props 77

6 Dispersal of Production 91

7 A Vision of Hell 103

8 Hitler's Smart Bombs 123

9 Ingenuity and Desperation 138

10 Oberammergau 155

11 Captured Aircraft 172

12 Secrets by the Thousands 185

13 Epilogue 199

Appendix 1 Itinerary of the Fedden Mission to Germany, 1945 209

Appendix 2 Captured Jet and Rocket Aircraft Removed by the Allies 212

Glossary 218

Bibliography 220

Acknowledgements 221

Index 222

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